Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez has headed the Cuban government since April 19, 2018, when he was "elected" (he was the only candidate) president of the Councils of State and Ministers. Since that time Díaz-Canel has had to grapple with several events that have shaken the Cuban people. We take a look back at his management of them after his five years in power.
Plane Crash
Not even a month had passed since assuming his position when, on May 18, 2018, 112 people were killed when Cubana de Aviación Flight 972 crashed. The aircraft, bound for Holguín, went down in outside Havana's José Martí International Airport after take-off. At the scene of the accident, Díaz-Canel stated: "All the relevant investigations will be carried out, and as soon as we have the information, it will be given to our people." The final report issued by Cuba's Civil Aeronautics Institute on the causes of the crash said it was caused by "human factors."
In June of 2019 the lawyers representing the victims' families in the legal proceedings initiated reported the harassment to which they were subjected by Cuban Police. Two months later these lawyers presented evidence that belied the version of events offered by the Cuban government. Apparently, the plane had suffered a blow to its left turbine and had not undergone the required maintenance.
In June 2022, the sole survivor of the accident, Maylen Díaz Almaguer, complained about the medical care he received, and a lack of medication. The response of the regime, issued by spokesman Humberto López, was to call the young woman "ungrateful."
Havana Tornado
On January 27, 2019 an EF4 tornado swept through several Havana municipalities, affecting housing in them, leaving eight dead and more than 200 injured. A few days later, on the Mesa Redonda television program Miguel Díaz-Canel asked the population affected for "patience and understanding" and defended the controversial decision to hold a Marti march just hours after the devastating phenomenon.
The political event held in front of the staircase of the University of Havana was heavily criticized by numerous social agents, on and off the island. With more than 250,000 people affected by the tornado, the regime deemed it more important to go ahead with the massive parade to the Fragua Martiana facility.
A few days later, during a tour of the affected areas, Díaz-Canel fled the neighborhood of Regla like a bat out of hell when people there slammed his government's response, which constituted an unprecedented incident at that time; in the last six decades no "revolutionary" leader had had to abandon a site in such a way.
A Baby's Death in Alamar
On October 9, 2019 Paloma Domínguez Caballero, an infant, received a defective vaccine at a polyclinic in Alamar. At least four other children suffered complications after receiving the drug, and Domínguez Caballero lost his life. After the constant appeals that her mother made on social media, the Ministry of Public Health acknowledged the event, but did not contact the family of the deceased child.
While the story shocked all of Cuba, the regime's foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla twice expressed his "deep" and "heartfelt" condolences…to Japan, for the loss of life there during Typhoon Hagibis, and for the death of the Mexican foreign minister's father. But nothing was said about the death of Paloma Domínguez Caballero.
Days after the tragedy Díaz-Canel offered, on Twitter, his condolences to the baby's family, but not without including a condemnation of the alleged "political manipulation" of the issue.
"It's a shame that he cares more about what his adversaries say than what the parents feel," the child’s mother said.
Three Girls Killed by a Collapse
Three girls between 11 and 12 years old died on the afternoon of January 27, 2020 when a balcony collapsed in Old Havana. The girls were leaving their elementary school when they passed under the balcony and it fell on them. There were no signs in the area warning of any danger. The official media did not immediately address the event, and, when they did, they did not use the word "girls" but rather "adolescents."
Again, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez extended condolences, this time to the people of the United States, for the death of basketball star Kobe Bryant, but did not mention the case of the girls, who died due to the appalling state of Havana's buildings. Miguel Díaz-Canel proceeded to inaugurate an office of the channel Telesur in Havana, and to congratulate Miguel Barnet and Roberto Fabelo on their birthday.
Covid-19 Management
When half the world was already shutting down its borders to prevent surging Covid-19 infections, the state company Havanatur was urging foreign tourists to visit the island in mid-March 2020. Demonstrating reckless indifference, the entity sought to exploit the ban on flights that the coronavirus had triggered worldwide.
On March 15, four days after Covid-19 reached Cuba, the Quality Director at the Ministry of Tourism stated that the country remained a safe destination for tourists. Five days later, after the first deaths generated by the disease, the Government finally regulated entry to the Island.
The pandemic's advance in Cuba exposed the profound limitations of the island's health system. Hospitals, polyclinics, morgues and cemeteries were overwhelmed by the increase in cases. At the end of 2020, a lifting of the border was attempted when the country did not have the pandemic under control, and the result was disastrous: Russian tourists, which arrived in Varadero on 12 weekly flights, were everywhere, wearing no masks. This made the province of Matanzas (with its Varadero beaches) the epicenter of the pandemic, and the third national wave of Covid was unleashed.
Response to Civil Society Protests
The hunger strike that several members of the San Isidro Movement went on in November 2020 came to an end on the 26th of that month, when the Díaz-Canel Government stormed the house on the Calle Damas in Old Havana. The strikers were arbitrarily detained and then released in different parts of the city.
The next day a group of artists gathered in front of the Ministry of Culture building. where they spent more than 12 hours demanding a meeting with the minister. During this time they suffered several provocations by State Security forces, and some claimed to have been sprayed with pepper spray by the authorities.
Two months later, on January 27, 2021, the head of that ministry, Alpidio Alonso Grau, physically assaulted DIARIO DE CUBA journalist Mauricio Mendoza when he showed up outside the Ministry of Culture, together with a group of young people who were already there, on November 27.
Six months later, when dozens of Cuban towns reported mass protests on July 11, Miguel Díaz-Canel appeared on national television to call on Cubans to fight against the "revolutionaries," as they, his supporters, were the real owners of the island's streets, he said.
That order led to multiple clashes between the security forces and the protesting masses. At least one young man died after being shot by police, and many were injured. The Cuban Government subsequently unleashed a series of arrests and kangaroo courts, with more than 1,000 people currently incarcerated. Many of those involved in those protests have been forced by State Security to leave Cuba, or have been deprived of their right to return.
Explosion at the Hotel Saratoga
On May 6, 2022 an explosion at the Hotel Saratoga in Havana killed 47 people and left some 100 injured. The luxury hotel suffered an explosion due to an alleged gas leak. To date, however, the regime has still not made public the report on the alleged investigation that a commission carried out to clarify the details of the incident.
The response by Cuba's emergency services was chaotic. Ambulances were slow to arrive at the scene, resulting in the death of at least one victim.
The Cuban government took days to identify the dead, and official media agents were slow to arrive at the hotel to report on the event.
The Hotel Saratoga was to be reopened four days later, on May 10. Most of the dead were workers who were setting up the installation so that it could begin to operate. Díaz-Canel and other high-ranking members of the Cuban Government frequently visited the site to burnish their images in the face of their responsibility for the event. May 6 marks one year since this tragedy, and there are still no conclusions about why it happened.
Energy Crisis in Cuba
Another major problem Diaz-Canel has faced is blackouts. The protests of July 2021 were, in part, precipitated by the lack of electricity in Cuban homes. Power outages lasting more than eight hours occurred in practically the entire country, while a large portion of the generating industries intermittently shut down.
In July 2022, in remarks before the National Assembly of Popular Power, Díaz-Canel asked Cubans to show solidarity and avoid demonstrations or dissent in the face of the blackouts.
This "does not solve the situation," the leader said. That same day he added: "We have been cursed with these energy problems."
The alleged curse to which Díaz-Canel referred was no question of chance, however. For decades this important sector had not received the necessary investments and maintenance, so the breakdowns should have been foreseen. Last February, at least three massive blackouts knocked out power across much of Cuba. This situation was associated with interruptions in high-voltage lines caused by forest fires.
An expert consulted by DIARIO DE CUBA said that the situation exposed the fragility of the Cuban Electroenergetic System (SEN). "The generation plants have been in operation for over 40 years, with low levels of operational maintenance and capital. Unfortunately, the long-term solution is the recapitalization of the SEN with new natural gas technologies… But Cuba does not have time or the money for this; we estimate that this would take more than five years and between 5 to 8 billion dollars,"explained Jorge Piñón, a researcher at the Energy Institute of the University of Texas.
Fire at the Supertanker Base in Matanzas
On August 5, 2022 one of the fuel tanks at the Matanzas Supertanker Base caught fire. As the blaze could not be contained, it spread to three other tanks, and 17 people were killed in the disaster; two of them were young men who were completing their military service as firefighters, and had no experience with these types of fires.
The fire exposed the technical deficiency of the means of extinction in Cuba for large fuel-based fires. A former Chemical Safety inspector involved in the creation of the safety system that these tanks should have had explained that it was not in good condition at the time of the fire. The lightning rods that each tank should have had did not work, nor did the foam pumps to put out the flames.
In this case, the identification of the missing persons was also delayed, such that the relatives ended up doing so on social media. As in the rest of the major disasters described here, the breach of protocols and neglect of the facilities led to the alleged curse of which Díaz-Canel has complained.
Collapse at the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant
On April 7, a wall collapsed inside the chimney AT the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas. Of the four workers who were working inside, two lost their lives.
The official newspaper Granma published that these workers were "victims of chance or some act of carelessness" that "is still unknown." Regarding the process that took place after the collapse, the Independent Trade Union Association of Cuba (ASIC), said: "We hereby express our disgust with the deficient rescue work that was carried out, as part of the structure that remained standing was taken down while the last of the victims was still buried in the rubble."
On Twitter, Diaz-Canel expressed support for rescuers and sent condolences to the victims' families. The ruler also sent a flower wreath on his behalf for the funeral.
This accident occurred in the industry with the largest electricity generator in the country, but, at the same time, it is one of the most affected by a lack of maintenance and investments. The Antonio Guiteras facility has been out of service since last March, and the authorities promised to commission it in May.